Many people already know that produce (especially non-organic produce) can contain pesticides due to treatments done on farms. But all produce is handled by unknown numbers of people before you pick it up to purchase it. Because of this, it is recommended to thoroughly clean every produce, even produce that has skin on it.

Potatoes of course, need to be scrubbed well under water with a potato scrubber with stiff bristles. We like the Mr. Potato Brush shown here. It works well and my daughter loves that it has a face on it.

All other items will depend on how easily they bruise. Don’t use soap with any items you will be cleaning. Produce washes are available, however, clean, cool water is just as effective according to experts. The key is putting the item under the water for at least 20 seconds while scrubbing with an appropriate scrubber or your hand.

Now, when we talk about cleaning produce, this includes cleaning the skin of items like bananas, cantaloupes and other items where you won’t be eating the skin. These items may spread the dirt/toxins to your hands or to the fruit when you cut them.

If you are worried about how you are going to thoroughly clean your broccoli, asparagus, peas or corn, Environmental Working Group found that these items were lower in pesticide residue than other items.
They found that the following items were higher than others in pesticide residue:

Peaches

Apples

Bell peppers

Celery

Nectarines

Strawberries

Cherries

Pears

Imported grapes

Spinach

Lettuce

Potatoes

You can learn more about how to clean different types of produce items by reading this article by the Environmental Working Group.